


Beware the Ides of Mark

by casey_sms (shinygreenwords), shinygreenwords



Category: The Social Network
Genre: Community:tsn_kinkmeme, F/M, Fix-It, Future Fic, Implied Relationships, Kissing, M/M, Original Character(s), POV Second Person, Pining, Reconciliation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-15
Updated: 2011-02-15
Packaged: 2017-10-15 16:31:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/162719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinygreenwords/pseuds/casey_sms, https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinygreenwords/pseuds/shinygreenwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 times Mark took it out on his staff and the one time they didn’t mind. Also future fic and fix-it fic.</p><p>For <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/tsn_kinkmeme/1522.html?thread=1876978#t1876978">this prompt</a> at <span><a href="http://community.livejournal.com/tsn_kinkmeme/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://community.livejournal.com/tsn_kinkmeme/"><b>tsn_kinkmeme</b></a></span>. It's a slight variation.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Beware the Ides of Mark

**Author's Note:**

> By staff this time I do mean people staff and not [the figurative staff](http://archiveofourown.org/works/159706) ahaha. Ok so Chris and Dustin don’t really work for FB anymore but let’s pretend. I tried to do it in the POV of the staff that don’t know what’s going on but it ended up too short. I tried to separate them but then it got uber messy. So there’s the staff POV in brackets and Chris and Dustin as employees of FB also but with insider knowledge on Mark. It’s complicated.

1.

(It happens at the fortnightly Friday evening theme party.)

The party happens every fortnight without fail. It’s in the office and he allows it because Chris tells him that parties are good for moral. He suspects that Chris just likes an occasion for dressing up but whatever. The upside of being boss is that he always gets an invite. He never dresses up but he usually attends because there’s free booze and he can watch his employees dress and act like idiots. Collecting blackmail is a great pastime.

But this week, the music is terrible. Everyone is wearing stupid Hawaiian shirts and straw hats and it’s a fucking Caribbean theme party. Like the Phoenix decided to host a fucking frat party in his office.

Dustin walks in dressed as a clownfish. Chris is Ariel the Disney mermaid with long red hair and purple clamshell bra. He’s shuffling into the room with a glittery green tail.

Dustin gapes. “Oh my god, déjà vu. Shit Mark, I thought we vetoed this theme for Under the Sea, I’m so sorry. I should have-”

“Someone turn the music off,” Mark says through gritted teeth. Not everyone knows and he’d rather keep it that way. There are a few people that are looking at him like he’s grown an extra head.

“Come now, we’re just having a good time,” said a tipsy intern who shuts up when he gets three sets of glares and maybe realizes that he’s talking to his boss.

“I said turn it off!” Mark snaps. He flushes from anger and embarrassment. “Some people have to try and work around here!” He can see what they’re thinking. They are losing respect for him and he’s never going to be able to recover this. Facebook is all he has left.

(He lives his life so much in the public. Anyone would crack under the stress.)

Chris looks upset like wanting to reject his unreasonable request and trying for damage control. He settles for giving him a pitying look and tells them to turn it off. Chris hopes Mark doesn’t catch some of the pitying looks directed at him.

“Here, let me take you home,” Chris says comfortingly, steering Mark away.

(For weeks people will talk about the Caribbean party in which Mark went spastic at everyone. How he’s a party pooper and how he has a huge stick up his ass. You feel a bit sorry for him. Everyone has off days. Sure Mark gets them more than usual but then he’s also the CEO of a company at twenty six. You try to change the topic of conversion to the new RPG that just came out.)

2.

(None of the programmers will ever forget the date March 19. You’ve heard that it’s apparently a Very Important Day. That it has something to do with an old girlfriend. Someone starting with ‘E’. You overheard the cafeteria gossip that Eric in the software department isn’t allowed to sign his notes with an ‘E’ because it set Mark off. So apparently Mark got burned really bad by this one chick that he’s still not over. You don’t really care because it hasn’t got anything to do with you. You feel bad for the guy sure but it’s none of your business who your boss bangs or doesn’t bang. Except when Mark is punishing everyone because he has Issues.

There are three rules you learnt before joining the Facebook team:  
#1 What happens at Facebook stays at Facebook.  
#2 Mark has Issues.  
#3 Don’t touch Mark’s Issues. Which includes not touching him because he has issues with that and doing whatever he says.

They say beware the Ides of March. More like beware the Ides of Mark.)

Mark is making them all work late. On some tedious application adjustments that can really wait in Dustin’s very professional opinion. Dustin is tired, like really tired. Mark has been crabby all week, mood swinging more than a pregnant lady being rescued by Spider-Man and he just wants to go home.

He doesn’t dare ask because the last person than got asked got a full face of Mark. Mark looks like a ghost in a horror movie except scarier. Dustin is lucky that Mark can’t really fire him because next to Mark, he’s the second best coder they have. Still Mark is really scary right now. He would prefer Mark to yell than to have this stony silence. The Stony Silence of Fury.

Dustin can’t figure out why it’s so important for them all to stay because they’ve been working their asses off until Chris taps at the date at the corner of his screen. March 19.

 _Oh._

He’d been so focused on the work that he’d kind of forgotten. He should have known anything to do with Beserk!Mark had to be Wardo-related. He wishes Mark would just ask. Or you know, apologize. If he didn’t want to be lonely on Wardo’s birthday, he could have just asked Chris and Dustin for company instead of making his staff hate him. Mark is doing a pretty shitty impression of not being emotionally compromised if you ask Dustin. Yeah and he just wants everyone to continue acting admirably. More like he’s forcing everyone to adhere to Vulcan-ness. And if he keeps doing that someone is seriously going to choke a bitch. Mark is really lucky he is the boss.

It’s well into the morning of March 20 when he lets everyone go. They’ve finished Mark’s impossible list of tasks. Everyone is past angry, past wanting to curse him, past feeling anything and they all feel as numb as him.

“Great work everyone,” Mark sounds defeated, a total contrast to his words. “Thanks,” he adds belatedly.

Everyone is staggering from their seats, wanting to go out. Away from Mark.

(You are one of the few who mumble a goodbye. You rub your gummy eyes and grab your jacket.)

Dustin notices that Mark doesn’t make to leave his office. He cuts a lonely figure in the empty office.

(You have to be in work again in a few hours.)

Dustin swallows and leaves.

3.

Mark thought he was over it enough not to have a problem with seeing the movie. He managed to hold it together until after the screening of the stupid movie to all his employees. He tried not to be an asshole and he still has to hear that line thrown back at him. He had to see Eduardo’s eyes, all hurt and anger and it broke him all over again.

He sneaks back into the office. It feels surreal, like he’s on his own set. He picks up his laptop and smashes it. The real Eduardo didn’t, it was just a movie but Mark figures he deserves a smashed laptop. It’s another blur between reality and fiction.

On the way home he wonders if Eduardo could ever forgive him. He knows it’s the question that everyone wanted to ask. He wants to know too now.

Damn them for bringing it up.

Mark thinks about sending Eduardo an email but he doesn’t like to wait. He calls. He hangs up after two rings. There’s nothing he could say. He did the unforgivable.

Chris finds pieces of the laptop and brings it to Dustin. “Can you try and save what you can? I’ve already ordered a replacement. Express delivery.” Mark sets the company back by about a week’s progress. There are backups but dammit. Dustin works hard to fix it even though Mark won’t thank him.

(You think the movie was a bit harsh though they did get the pining part right. Mark acts unaffected but he definitely has unresolved issues. You can’t really comment because it’s not like you’ve ever met Eduardo or Erica. You only know Mark, Chris and Dustin and of the three you only really interact with the latter on a professional basis.

So after the one day off to see the movie, you get like twice the workload. When you receive the list of tasks you swear under your breath. It’s the same stuff as you did last week. You know you’ve done it before. Done it already. You want to ask but Dustin is one of Mark’s good friends and he looks tired. He’s normally a pretty happy-go-lucky guy but he seems subdued so you know something serious is going on. Dustin asks you not to mention it as a favor, please. People tell you to do these favors because it’ll get you places and a favor from Dustin would probably go a long way. But you like to think you would do it because you’re a nice guy. You nod, yes you’ll do it and you’ll keep your mouth shut. You figure out something went wrong. People aren’t computers. Backups go missing. Mistakes happen. People fuck up and it’s hard enough not have that shown on a big screen somewhere, everywhere. Plus, it’s not like you had anything else better to do.

When you stay back to fix the damage, you see Mark in his office. He looks a little lonely. You wonder if he’s thinking about Erica. You know what that’s like. To have someone you want and to admire from afar. Mark’s assistant is your Erica. So close, yet so far.)

4.

The staff, including Chris and Dustin, organized a birthday bash for him and Dustin on the weekend between their birthdays. It’s too big to be a surprise. He knows that there are skits, speeches, chocolate fountains, strippers and jumping castles involved. They went all out even though it wasn’t a particularly special number. He’s twenty seven. But Dustin insisted that they should have at least one big party before 2012. Just in case. Mark figures he owes Dustin. He gave Dustin the green light although he drew the line at a Dinosaur theme party. He also forbade the use or any sort of clowns, ostensibly because he didn’t want to get sued if someone had a panic attack. Really, he just finds clowns creepy.

He’s planning on attending and staying until he finds out Eduardo’s going to be there.

This is the first birthday party post-movie. It feels like a set up. He can’t deal with this.

Mark decides then and there he’s not going to attend.

“Mark! You have to wear your crown!” Chris fusses. Then he stops. “You’re not dressed.”

“Yeah. I’m not going,” Mark says.

“We’ve gone over this Mark,” Chris says calmly. “You said you would remember?” He makes to help Mark.

“Don’t touch me,” Mark says sharply.

Dustin walks in a velvet top hat looking like a perfect ringmaster. “-taking you so long? There you are!”

“Mark isn’t going,” Chris says bitterly, his normally warm tone is hard.

Dustin looks between Chris and Mark, his face falling. “This is about Wardo isn’t it?” He can tell from the way Mark flinches at the mention of his name that he’s right.

“You’re not going because he’s there.”

Mark nods curtly. “You should have told me.”

“This is why I didn’t tell you,” Dustin spits.

Then Mark says, “Tell them they’ll get a bonus from me. Full paid leave for tomorrow as a party favor. You two as well.”

Dustin wants to punch Mark in the face or maybe strangle him with the whip he’s carrying. “I don’t want your money and I doubt they do either. We spent weeks, months planning this. I’m not going to tell them. You can tell them yourself. Though you can start by telling me why you won’t attend our birthday party because of your ex.” Dustin hates that Mark makes everyone feel shitty. He gets that he misses Wardo but he and Chris have stood by Mark and it’s like it doesn’t even matter. Dustin takes a deep breath, feeling the weight of the silence. “Then you can go out there and tell your staff why their boss won’t attend the party they’re throwing for _you_. Money isn’t going to make it all better. Like it didn’t when-” Dustin stops himself before he says something he regrets. Chris’s eyes are wide and he’s shaking his head.

“I fucked up,” Mark snarls. “I know.”

“Maybe you should do something about that.”

“It’s over,” Mark tells him like he doesn’t know it. “You’re the birthday boy. Go enjoy your day. Happy birthday.”

Dustin deflates. “You’re birthday boy too,” he says quietly. “Happy birthday, Mark.” It sounds empty even to him.

Dustin tries not to let it affect him. The staff deserve a good party after all the effort that went into organizing it. He does not look at Eduardo when he announces, “Unfortunately, Mark isn’t feeling well today but hopes that we’ll all have a great party. Let’s have three cheers for Mark. All the best and I hope you get well soon.” Dustin means it.

(What kind of guy doesn’t turn up to his own birthday party? If not for himself, for his friend. It’s a dick move. Apparently even the dude who sued him turned up.

Then you learn that you’re going to get a bonus. From Mark. A day off with a day’s pay. Mark is weird. But rule #1 applies so no one says anything. It _is_ generous of him. Everyone cheers and starts to get smashed.

You enjoy the next day off. You wonder idly if Mark is better, if he’s working. Dustin and Chris are probably taking care of him.

Your server is connected. Time to pwn some bitches.)

5.

It’s not anything new per se, it’s almost a given. Mark yells at his employees sometimes. But what is new is that the target of his ire yelling back.

(It’s the assistant you’ve been eying from afar. Alex. Mark is your boss but Alex is on the side of the plebs. You’re definitely rooting for her. The crush is incidental. Totally not a conflict of interest.)

“I’ve had to tell you five times now,” Mark shouts. “This is unacceptable.”

“We all know why that is,” she retorts, rolling her eyes.

Lowering his voice, Mark says, “Enlighten me then as to why you would bother to put in something that could have been done with someone half your brain capacity? I also said I needed the report on my desk by this morning. I don’t see a report. I clearly instructed you make copies of the files and sort them and you have neglected the task.”

“I could say because I spend a lot of time making sure you eat, drink water and don’t waste away when you’re wired in but then you would say that is my fault. That you never asked me to.”

“It is. I never hired you-”

“To be your mother. Yes, you’ve said that.” In fact she fielded a call from Mark’s mother and she said that he would say that and to please be a dear and ignore him. Mark’s mother is very sweet. She wonders for a second if its Mark’s father that has a bad temper or whether it’s just Mark. “I apologize for not getting everything ready because you’re right, you asked me to and I didn’t. Nothing can excuse that,” she says sincerely. “But this part is entirely _your_ fault. You want him back.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re not making any sense.”

“Let me make this clear. This is why you keep firing your assistants and/or they quit. No one will be good enough. Ever. Go after him or get over him. Don’t get angry at everyone because they aren’t him and you want him and you’re not doing anything about it. If you really need me to say who he is then I really think you’re losing your touch. You’re brilliant programmer and working with you has been an interesting experience, Mr Zuckerberg. But this is unacceptable.”

She walks out with her head held high, heels clicking on the floor.

(You’re stunned and saddened. You almost quit in solidarity but you’re too chicken to. You shut everyone out because they are bitching whether she was a bitch to Mark and whether Mark deserved it but who the fuck cares? Things got messed up. You do a Mark, code binge and live on Red Bull. Mark who’s also walked off his job but it’s all being kept hush hush. You hear he’s fallen apart. You hear he’s flown off. You just hope you have a job after all of this. You’re pissed off at him but if this is what he feels like all the time, missed opportunities and regrets, you can cut him some slack.

It turns out alright because a week later, Mark comes back. There are betting pools on whether he’s gotten laid because he’s positively beaming. She’s back too. You duck off into the bathroom to straighten your clothes. It’s a good thing you’re ahead of your work because you spend the next three hours thinking up cool pick up lines. At lunch, you catch her eye. She sits next to you in the cafeteria. You stutter before you manage to tell her you’re glad she’s back. She grins then asks you out. You decide that life is awesome and you’re so glad you work at Facebook.)

+1

At the annual Facebook shareholders’ meeting, Chris is giving the presentation when Dustin hacks it and inserts a couple of slides.

“Any questions?” Chris says with a smile, flashing his white teeth.

A hand goes up. Chris is not happy to find that it’s Dustin. Dustin can tell because Chris gets this tiny twitch above his right eye.

“Yes Dustin?”

“Could I please get a detailed breakdown of the 2011, third quarter. I noticed a sum that appears unaccounted for.”

Chris narrows his eyes and flicks back to the main and then the breakdown of the budget.

There’s a big red circle over one of the figures.

Then magnified inset “Business trip to Singapore.”

There is a picture of Mark smiling. Then a slide with cartoon of a plane with an arrow pointing towards a really old [picture](http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=266328136269#!/photo.php?fbid=440104531269&set=a.428573521269.230134.266328136269&theater) of Eduardo with his hands in his pockets. It’s auto playing now. The next slide has love hearts and rose petals raining over a grainy paparazzi shot of Mark and Eduardo kissing. Eduardo has Mark dipped slightly and Mark is clutching at the front of Eduardo’s jacket. It looks like the movie poster of a chick flick. Then a slide showing the doubling in value of Facebook stock since the trip with a cheesy ‘thumbs up’ gif and Tinkerbell fairy dust sound effect.

Everyone starts clapping. A couple of catcalls and whistles.

Eduardo squirms in his seat and says out of the corner of his mouth, “I can’t believe you treated that as a company expense.”

Mark looks wholly at ease. “I was in a hurry. Oops.”

Eduardo is embarrassed but secretly pleased and plants a quick kiss to Mark’s cheek.

There are a few awwws.

Chris clears his throat. “If there are any further questions pertaining to Facebook?” Chris glares at Dustin while the programmer tries to emit the aura of rainbows and butterflies because honestly the epic love story of Mark and Eduardo will never be not awesome. No one says anything but everyone is grinning. Dustin is preening a little. “This concludes our meeting for this year. Thank you for attending. Please join us for refreshments.…”

The staff all smile – Eduardo is a good influence. Mark has been much easier to deal with since he went on the trip. They would have paid for the trip sooner if they thought it would help.

(You aren’t really paying attention anymore because Alex is holding your hand. She leans in for a kiss. Everything is perfect.)

**Author's Note:**

> [Source](%E2%80%9Chttp://thescorecardreview.com/articles/tsr-blog-articles/2010/10/01/tsr-blog-the-accidental-billionaires-vs-the-social-network/13680%E2%80%9D)  
>  for supposed reaction of real!Eduardo when he found out he got diluted. So I still fucked with reality because it’s an imagining of the movie characters if they were to er…see their own movie. TSN is a mindfuck and you know you love it.
> 
> I try to write too many fills so I get a bit confused hence it is not exactly what anon requested. Oops.


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